EULAC focus

Presentation

The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States is a regional bloc of Latin American and Caribbean states thought out on February 23, 2010, at the Rio Group–Caribbean Community Unity Summit, and created on December 3, 2011, in Caracas, Venezuela, with the signature of The Declaration of Caracas. It consists of 33 sovereign countries in the Americas representing roughly 600 million people. Due to the focus of the organization on Latin American and Caribbean countries, other countries and territories in the Americas, Canada and the United States, as well as the territories of France, the Netherlands, Denmark and the United Kingdom in the Americas are not included.

CELAC is an example of a decade-long push for deeper integration within Latin America and the Caribbean. CELAC was created to deepen Latin American integration and by some to reduce the significant influence of the United States on the politics and economics of Latin America. It is seen as an alternative to the Organization of American States (OAS), the regional body that was founded by United States and 21 other Latin American nations, as a countermeasure to potential Soviet influence in the region.

The global context of the EU-CELAC partnership has evolved and there is a need to critically review the bi-regional cooperation to detect bright spots, successful initiatives and new emerging issues of importance in both regions. There is a need to connect cooperation in the cultural, scientific an social fields, improving cross-cutting interaction and visibility with an emphasis on distinctive initiatives for the direct benefit of the society.

One of the main aims of the Strategic Partnership is to deepen the bi-regional relations and develop a joint global vision around topics of mutual interest. The strong historical, cultural and economic ties between the countries of both regions create a solid basis for comprehensive dialogues at all levels and throughout a wide array of fields.

EULAC focus is structured with three thematic work packages on the cultural, scientific and social dimensions, and three horizontal work packages to establish cross-cutting pathways, development of a common vision and dissemination, outreach and uptake of the results.